Prepare the Way of the Lord!

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

B Advent 3 – 17 December 2017

Text: John 1: 6-8, 19-28

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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John the Baptizer appears in all four gospels in some way or another, usually pretty early in the gospel book. Because he shows up in so many of these ancient writings, we know that the earliest Christians considered him an important figure. In Matthew and Mark, John first shows up as an adult, calling others to repent, and baptizing them in the Jordan River. In Luke, the pregnancy narrative of John’s mother, Elizabeth, is linked quite significantly with the pregnancy narrative of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

In our lesson from the Gospel of John today, we learn that John the Baptizer was sent from God to witness to the light. This gospel writer makes it clear: John isn’t the light; he’s the one called to testify about the light.

During John’s life, there was confusion about who he was. We hear today that some religious leaders want to know more about his identity, so when they ask him, John says he’s not the Messiah, he’s not Elijah, he’s not the prophet. So they ask again, “Who are you?” And he gives them his answer using the ancient words of Isaiah: “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’”

In ancient times, when someone important was traveling the region, a road crew of sorts would go ahead, preparing the way. Travel was arduous, so rough roads would be made smooth, high places would be leveled to match lower places. These crews knew they had a job to do; they also knew they weren’t the focus. Their job was to prepare the way for the emperor, the governor, or the king who was to follow.

So John is the head of the road crew, preparing the way for Jesus.

Put another way: John himself isn’t the light; his job is to tell others about the true light, which enlightens everyone, and is coming into the world.

Years ago, Steve and I visited the Inner Space Cavern, down I-35 near Georgetown, in Central Texas. This cavern was discovered in 1963, and it runs deep enough and through enough solid rock that when you’re in the cavern, you are in the cavern. Important features are well-lit, as are the pathways that the tours follow. During part of the tour, the guide stopped us to explain part of the cavern.

Then, she asked us if we wanted to experience Total Darkness. The cavern has its own unique darkness, called Total Darkness, and the way she said it, I felt like it should be trademarked. At the very least, it’s capitalized: Total Darkness.

Of course, we all said yes – so she hit the lights. And sure enough, it was Total Darkness – she told us to hold up our hands in front of our faces, and I couldn’t see my own hand, even an inch in front of my nose. I couldn’t see anything. We stood completely still in that darkness, and finally the lights began to come back on.

In order for us to experience Total Darkness, we had to make sure every light-giving source was off or put away, for it only takes a bit of light to ruin Total Darkness. One cell phone screen, and the darkness would’ve been gone. One glow-in-the-dark watch face, and there would be no darkness.

Even a small light has this incredible way of banishing the darkness – and when we are in darkness, our eyes are drawn toward light sources. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. We stumble in the darkness. Sometimes, we are frozen by the darkness, afraid to move. And so the good news of Jesus Christ is this: that God, out of great love for us, offers the greatest light to us in the person of Jesus.

Like John the Baptizer, we are called to be witnesses to the light that shines in the darkness. We need not blind others with the light of Jesus. I recently watched a tv show in which a character brought out an old camera with a flash bright enough to blind everyone in the room. Every picture he took with this camera was a picture of someone squinting in pain or hiding their eyes. What’s the good of blinding someone?

And yet, there are plenty in our world who live in Total Darkness every day of their lives – their lives darkened by illness or injury, grief, oppression, bigotry – the list goes on and on.

It only takes a little bit of light to ruin the darkness, and we are the ones called to witness to the light of Christ, the ones called to hold up that light for all to see. And so, in Advent, we light candles here and there, banishing the darkness a bit more each week, until we arrive at the bright night of Christmas Eve, to welcome the Light of the Christ Child that has come into the world.

And it is Advent that helps us remember that we await the coming of Christ in glory on the final day – the day on which he will shine his light into every dark place – the day on which the darkness of sin and death will be banished forever. We do not know the day or the hour, only that the light will shine into the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

Prepare the way of the Lord, and shine his light in the world.

Amen.

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